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Compare towns

Bloomington vs Normal Township

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: street grid (2.3× in Bloomington) and trails (2.6× in Bloomington).

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Bloomington, ILA history townIllinois · 78,907 people
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Normal Township, ILKnown for its schoolsMcLean County · 52,417 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $410 more a month in Bloomington

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Bloomington$1,900/mo
Typical home $270K (Zillow) · tax rate 2.15% · or rent about $1,050/mo · Housing →
Normal Township$1,500/mo
Typical home $211K (Census) · tax rate 2.22% · or rent about $969/mo · Housing →

The difference: $410 a month, about $4,900 a year, between Bloomington and Normal Township.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Where they are

Bloomington and Normal Township share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BloomingtonNormal TownshipBloomingtonNormal Township
Bloomington ↔ Normal Township4.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
7,066 Normal Township residents work in Bloomington (35.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Normal Township →
Report cards

Bloomington places higher on 13 of 19 IL lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Illinois ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BloomingtonNormal Township
Snow a year7″20″
January low—16°F
July high—86°F
Growing season (days)—172d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)44th47th
Outdoors & history
BloomingtonNormal Township
Conserved land7.5%2.9%
Settled18571865
National Register places19—
Archive photos2418
Famous people born here5341
Community
BloomingtonNormal Township
Library hours a week64 hrs62 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BloomingtonNormal Township
People
Population 78,907Highest 52,417Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +2.7%Highest -1.1%Lowest
Median age 36.2±0.8Highest 7% below IL 25±0.7Lowest 36% below IL
Kids under 18 22.5%±1.1Highest IL: 21.8% 15.4%±1.3Lowest IL: 21.8%
Age 65+ 14.7%±0.8Highest IL: 17% 12.2%±1Lowest IL: 17%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 48.7%Lowest IL: 37.8% 52.3%Highest IL: 37.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 8.4%±0.7Lowest IL: 6.3% 33%±2.1Highest IL: 6.3%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $77,384±$4kHighest 7% below IL $63,708±$7kLowest 24% below IL
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $203,300±$7kLowest 23% below IL $210,800±$7kHighest 20% below IL
Normal Township and Bloomington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,050±$36Highest 18% below IL $969±$49Lowest 24% below IL
Bloomington and Normal Township are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $4,374Lowest 17% below IL $4,686Highest 12% below IL
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 38.4%±4.1Lowest IL: 47.9% 58.5%±6.3Highest IL: 47.9%
Below poverty line 11%Lowest IL: 11.8% 21.9%Highest IL: 11.8%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.9%Highest IL: 67.1% 54.6%Lowest IL: 67.1%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 11 yrs newer than IL 1988Highest 17 yrs newer than IL
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 17 minHighest 40% below IL 16 minLowest 41% below IL
Work from home 20.7%±1.6Highest IL: 15.9% 13.1%±1.6Lowest IL: 15.9%
Work in townworking residents 46%Highest 20.4%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 3.8 miLowest 4.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.37Highest 0.99Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Normal (21%)Bloomington (35%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in Normal Township35% work in Bloomington
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.5%Highest 2.9%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 28.1 miHighest 10.7 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.0 miHighest 0.3 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 44Highest 22Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 92.3Highest 40.0Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading —#104 of 384 in IL
School district —ISU Laboratory Schools · DeWitt/Livingstn/Logan/McLean ROE
High school in town —Normal Community West High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 15.1
Illinois average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Bloomington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Bloomington’s Town Square.

Normal Township neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Normal Township’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Bloomington

Towns like Bloomington

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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